The new darts season is upon us again, which means that many ranking tournaments will be played in the coming months. For some players, including several well-known names, this period is especially important to stay in the top 64 to maintain their status as professional dart players.
Players who have a PDC Tour Card are given two years to secure a position in the top-64 of the world rankings. If a player falls out of the top-64 after that period, that player must return to Q-School to try to earn back his Tour Card.
One of the most notable names who looks set to fall outside the 64 is Vincent van der Voort. The 48-year-old Dutchman had participated in all editions of the PDC World Championship since 2008, but was missing from the last edition at the Ally Pally for the first time since 2008. The former UK Open finalist had a very mediocre year on the Pro Tour in 2023 and has indicated he will quit if he does not have a better season this year.
Another darts veteran at risk of losing his Tour Card at the end of the season is Mervyn King. Like Van der Voort, the 57-year-old Englishman was missing from the World Darts Championship in December for the first time since 2008. With quarterfinal finishes at every individual major, King has an impressive career behind him.
Mensur Suljovic will also have to perform better this year to avoid falling out of the top 64. The 51-year-old Austrian, who was a finalist at the World Matchplay in 2018, has already dropped to number 55 in the world rankings.
Adrian Lewis was absent from the World Darts Championship at the last edition for the first time since 2006. The two-time world champion had decided to temporarily quit darts earlier this year. If Lewis will not play again this year, he is guaranteed to drop out of the top 64 and lose his Tour Card.
Prior to the last edition of the World Darts Championship, Alan Soutar was still ranked No. 34 in the world. Soutar managed to reach the last 16 on each of his two World Championship appearances in 2022 and 2023, beating a number of big names. Last year, however, the Scot had a rather mediocre year on the Pro Tour, missing the Alexandra Palace and has already dropped to No. 45 in the world rankings.
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